The BabySitter
by natural like
Summary: Hinata babysits Konohamaru when Naruto is not there to do it himself.


Chapter One

"Don't worry," Hinata said in a reassuring tone, "I'll do my best…" She smiled warmly, looking at the young boy.

He wore a pout with his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes shut very, very, tight. He didn't like the idea of a new babysitter, and now thought of himself too old to have one, once Naruto wasn't here to take care of him.

"Let's hope Konohamaru behaves while at the lovely home of the Hyuuga's." His sensei grinned and nudged the boy closer to Hinata. The boy grunted. "I'll be ready to pick him up at nine, or later. I don't know how long it would take..."

"Oh, no worries, Ebisu-san! Take all the time you need, really."

Konohamaru began to hate the soft voice of 'Hinata-sama'. Was she trying to make him believe that she was nice? All babysitters were mean, and never let him do what he wanted, except Naruto, of course. Konohamaru didn't want to look at her either. Maybe if he kept his eyes closed long enough, she would disappear.

Then, he heard the door close.

All was quiet for a moment, but then he felt a hand cup into his.

"Hello, Konohamaru." He heard the lady say. He slowly took a peek, and saw a blur of white and black. When, he decided to open his eyes, he saw her for the first time.

She looked nice, Konohamaru thought. Her eyes were very comforting to look at, and her smile made his stomach stir. He remembered that his hand was in hers, and blushed.

"Let's go outside," Hinata said, pulling him along. "I need to water my children." He heard her giggle, and followed her, because she was making him, not because he wanted to, he said to himself.

When outside, he found himself in a forest.

There were plants stretched across the pavement of the walkway, bushes scattered here and there, plants with bright green leaves attached to skinny bodies, and sometimes, on top, were pink and yellow and red and blue and purple and orange flowers, some blooming and some already beautiful.

He sat down on the prickly grass and lay down. He didn't feel the tickle of grass when he stared up to the clear blue sky. He hadn't known it to be so beautiful.

Konohamaru then noticed that his babysitter was watering some of the pretty sunflowers he had seen earlier. She held them delicately, and poured fresh water onto their faces, and they seemed to look more alive. He decided that if he were here, then he would at least _do_ something, instead of sitting all alone.

He stood up, brushing some dirt that had stained on his shirt. He adjusted his forehead protector, and then saw that Hinata was not alone, but accompanied by a smaller girl, she looked his age.

As he stepped closer to the two, he heard a different voice, not Hinata's soft one, so obviously, the smaller one's.

"He's practically my age! Is he that much of a troublemaker to have a _baby-_sitter at the age of _twelve_?"

Konohamaru didn't like her, so he decided to break their conversation.

"Shut-up! You don't know who you're talking about! I'm the Third's grandson!" yelled Konohamaru. He caught the girl his age's attention, and Hinata's.

Hinata covered her mouth with a pale hand, while the younger girl clenched hers.

"Hanabi," Hinata said to the girl, "don't speak that way!"

Konohamaru marched up to the girl named Hanabi and shook his fist in the air. "I'm going to be Hokage one day, so you better treat me with respect!"

Now close, he saw that her eyes were like Hinata's but with a harder surface. Her face was scrunched up, but Konohamaru froze. He found Hanabi to be quite cute, with her perfect eyebrows knitted into an angry face, and a bit of red on her cheeks. He himself blushed and took back fewer steps away from the two sisters.

Hinata came to comfort him and said that Hanabi didn't mean what she had said, and that Hanabi is always lonely, so she doesn't know how to react with strangers. Konohamaru found an understanding very quickly and forgave her fairly quickly too.

Although Hanabi had said mean things to him, she had said them because she was a little jealous. She would always find him in the village (on the rare occasions that she stepped out of the compound) playing with two other kids their age. One girl, with orange hair tied on the top of her head. The other, a boy, who wore glasses and always had disgusting snot hanging from his nose. Although each looked _very_ different, they had the most fun. She could tell, because they always had on a big grin, running and playing. She wondered what it was like to be that free, and soon became green.

Hinata noticed their reactions and the corners of her mouth were curved upward.

"I have an idea," Hinata said.

-

The three settled into the large kitchen of the Hyuuga home.

Hinata moved about, collecting pans, and pots, spoons and ingredients. They were soon laid across the counter, Hanabi and Konohamaru looking on with wide eyes.

"What are we going to make, sister?"

"I think I would like to make cinnamon rolls." In fact, Hinata loved cinnamon rolls. She hoped the younger kids would too. "Do you agree?"

Hanabi smiled, agreeing, and Konohamaru had drool already dripping on the corner of his mouth, but was brought back out his trance by the girl's giggles. He grinned with his chipped tooth. Hanabi blushed.

They spent their time making cinnamon rolls, stirring and baking, waiting and laughing.

But, Konohamaru was embarrassed several times, such as when the cinnamon rolls were ready to eat, and Hinata was glazing Hanabi's roll. He had eaten his before she could frost his, and felt embarrassed. Hanabi laughed and ate hers with practiced movements, that again, he was embarrassed for having eaten so _wild_ like.

Next time, he asked Hinata, will you teach me how to behave?

Hinata was touched.

Konohamaru was happy.

He decided that he liked his new babysitter, and her sister.

Author's Note: I know, it seems like a very innocent story, and should be left as a short story about friendship, rather than destroying it and adding a few more chapters with romance… but I want to try a NaruHina fan fiction, so expect that soon! Thank-you for your time!

Post Script: Also, this story is (obviously) before the Invasion of Pain Arc… ; ((


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